Making an Ancestor at Actuncan: Exploring the Origins, Health, Burial Treatment and Taphonomy of a Late Classic Maya Residential Eastern Structure

Summary

The patio adjacent to the eastern structure of Group 1 at the site of Actuncan served as a burial ground for generations. At least twelve individuals in more than seven graves were buried at one of the oldest residential groups at the site during the Late Classic period (AD 600-900). Eastern structures were used to bury revered ancestors in the Belize River Valley, but nearly all of the Actuncan Group 1 burials were disturbed by later burials. When was it acceptable to disturb an ancestor, and how did appropriate treatment of the dead change after burial? This paper explores the relationship between burial practices and the identities of the dead, including osteological analysis of early childhood health and evidence for diet and migration using strontium, carbon, and oxygen isotopes. The re-use of important places over generations shows how ancestors played a role in maintaining memory in the urban landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21905